Is unconventional warfare an option in Syria?
Russia has made a significant observation: the U.S. is not guaranteed to take action in the light of a post Cold War Russia, that changes their foreign policy and political calculus.
unconventional warfare
ISOF is winning in Iraq and proves the worth of Special Forces Foreign Internal Defense
The Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) are proving their worth and showing the incredible work done by Special Forces. The ISOF was in real danger of losing its effectiveness, because we left them hanging, as a nation. The result of our abandonment was a hopeless, not hopeful Iraq. The warfighters felt that hopelessness. The mission was […]
Flintlock, Unconventional Warfare, and Special Forces Teams
The teams’ mission could be one of several –direct action (DA), strategic reconnaissance (SR), or unconventional warfare (UW).
Detachment A: the Cold War Sabotage Experts of Special Forces
Imagine American Special Forces soldiers traveling around Baghdad in civilian vehicles, speaking the local language, carrying false passports, and operating under a cover as they case targets and dodge foreign intelligence agents. Today, such a thing is an impossibility, a much sought after capability that Special Forces has been unable to attain in recent years. […]
The New U.S. Military Recruit: ‘A Ph.D Who Could Win a Bar Fight’
For the U.S. Military, the challenges of the 21st century require a literal changing of the guard. And according to Adm. Eric Olson (ret.), a former Navy SEAL, the blueprint for the future comes straight from our past
Special Operations and the Challenge of Working in the “Gray Zone”
Military, government, academic, and policy gurus are forever formulating new doctrine, concepts, terminology, and acronyms for the military. Years ago there were very few terms to consider (compared to now) in the special operations world – Unconventional Warfare (UW), Foreign Internal Defense (FID), Internal Defense and Development (IDAD), Counterinsurgency (COIN), and a few others. It […]
Why Carpet Bombing ISIS Won’t Work
In a campaign speech, Donald Trump talked about his strategy for dealing with ISIS by saying, “I would bomb the shit out of them. I would just bomb those suckers. I would blow up the pipes. I’d bomb the refineries; I would blow up every single inch. There would be nothing left.” While bombing ISIS’s financial […]
China’s Unrestricted Warfare (Pt. 3)
Our look at the 1999 PLA white paper “Unrestricted Warfare” continues with an examination of what really constitutes a new weapon concept.
Marine Raiders: The Future of MARSOC
MARSOC evolving into Marine Raiders might have been the greatest asymmetrical operation in the history of MARSOC. Here’s how it happened.
China’s Unrestricted Warfare (Pt. 1)
The 1999 PLA white paper “Unrestricted Warfare” can help to broaden our definition of what constitutes war before we lose one we didn’t even know we were in.
Book Review: Tactics of the Crescent Moon
Poole has written on terrorist and insurgent tactics, as well as the counter-insurgency tactics he believes are necessary to defeat them.
Chinese Information Dominance: Encircling America with Weaponized Technology
Many of China’s inexpensive routers and smartphones are being designed with the potential to retrieve information without the user’s knowledge.
